Joseph Schooling facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Joseph Schooling

Schooling at the 2015 World Championships
Personal information
Nickname(s)	"Singapore's Flying Fish"
Born	(1995-06-16) 16 June 1995 (age 30) Singapore
Height	1.79m
Weight	80 kg (180 lb)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Butterfly, Freestyle, Medley
College team	University of Texas, Austin
Coach	Sergio López Miró Gary Tan Eddie Reese, Kris Kubik (University of Texas)
Medal record Men's swimming Representing  Singapore Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 0 0 World Championships (LC) 0 0 2 Asian Games 3 1 3 Commonwealth Games 0 1 0 Southeast Asian Games 29 3 2 Olympic Games Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro 100 m butterfly World Championships (LC) Bronze 2017 Budapest 100 m butterfly Bronze 2015 Kazan 100 m butterfly Asian Games Gold 2018 Jakarta 100 m butterfly Gold 2018 Jakarta 50 m butterfly Gold 2014 Incheon 100 m butterfly Silver 2014 Incheon 50 m butterfly Bronze 2018 Jakarta 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 2018 Jakarta 4×200 m freestyle Bronze 2014 Incheon 200 m butterfly Commonwealth Games Silver 2014 Glasgow 100 m butterfly Southeast Asian Games Gold 2021 Hanoi 100 m butterfly Gold 2021 Hanoi 4×100 m medley Gold 2019 Philippines 100 m butterfly Gold 2019 Philippines 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2019 Philippines 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2019 Philippines 4×100 m medley Gold 2017 Kuala Lumpur 50 m butterfly Gold 2017 Kuala Lumpur 100 m butterfly Gold 2017 Kuala Lumpur 100 m freestyle Gold 2017 Kuala Lumpur 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2017 Kuala Lumpur 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2017 Kuala Lumpur 4×100 m medley Gold 2015 Singapore 50 m butterfly Gold 2015 Singapore 100 m butterfly Gold 2015 Singapore 200 m butterfly Gold 2015 Singapore 50 m freestyle Gold 2015 Singapore 100 m freestyle Gold 2015 Singapore 200 m medley Gold 2015 Singapore 4×100 m medley Gold 2015 Singapore 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2015 Singapore 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2013 Naypyidaw 100 m butterfly Gold 2013 Naypyidaw 200 m butterfly Gold 2013 Naypyidaw 200 m medley Gold 2013 Naypyidaw 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2013 Naypyidaw 4×100 m medley Gold 2013 Naypyidaw 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2011 Palembang 50 m butterfly Gold 2011 Palembang 200 m butterfly Silver 2019 Philippines 50 m butterfly Silver 2019 Philippines 100 m freestyle Silver 2011 Palembang 200 m medley Bronze 2021 Hanoi 4x200 m freestyle Bronze 2011 Palembang 100 m butterfly Representing the Texas Longhorns Event 1st 2nd 3rd NCAA Championships 12 2 3 Total 12 2 3 By race Event 1st 2nd 3rd 50 y freestyle 0 0 1 100 y butterfly 2 1 0 200 y butterfly 2 0 0 4×50 y freestyle 2 0 0 4×100 y freestyle 1 1 0 4×200 y freestyle 1 0 0 4×50 y medley 1 0 2 4×100 y medley 3 0 0 NCAA Championships Gold 2015 Iowa City 100 y butterfly Gold 2015 Iowa City 200 y butterfly Gold 2015 Iowa City 4x100 y medley Gold 2016 Atlanta 100 y butterfly Gold 2016 Atlanta 200 y butterfly Gold 2016 Atlanta 4x50 y freestyle Gold 2016 Atlanta 4x200 y freestyle Gold 2016 Atlanta 4x100 y medley Gold 2017 Indianapolis 4x50 y freestyle Gold 2017 Indianapolis 4x100 y freestyle Gold 2017 Indianapolis 4x50 y medley Gold 2017 Indianapolis 4x100 y medley Silver 2016 Atlanta 4×100 y freestyle Silver 2017 Indianapolis 100 y butterfly Bronze 2015 Iowa City 4×50 y medley Bronze 2016 Atlanta 4×50 y medley Bronze 2017 Indianapolis 50 y freestyle

Joseph Isaac Schooling (born 16 June 1995) is a retired swimmer from Singapore. He is famous for winning Singapore's first-ever Olympic gold medal. He won the 100-meter butterfly race at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

His winning time of 50.39 seconds was a new Olympic record. It also broke the records for Singapore, Southeast Asia, and Asia. Schooling was an expert in the butterfly stroke, freestyle swimming, and medley swimming.

He first competed in the Olympics in 2012. On 2 April 2024, he announced he was retiring from swimming. He now focuses on his swim school and other business projects.

Early Life and Family

Joseph Schooling was born and raised in Singapore. He is the only child of May and Colin Schooling. His family has a history of great athletes. His father, Colin, played softball for Singapore. His mother, May, was a professional tennis player.

His grand-uncle, Lloyd Valberg, was Singapore's first-ever Olympian. He competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics. Valberg inspired Schooling to dream of competing in the Olympics one day.

Schooling started his education at the Anglo-Chinese School in Singapore. To get better training, he moved to the United States in 2009. He attended the Bolles School in Florida, which is known for its swimming program. After high school, he went to the University of Texas at Austin. There, he swam for the famous Texas Longhorns team.

His father, Colin, passed away in November 2021 after being treated for cancer.

College Swimming Career

While studying at the University of Texas, Schooling became a star swimmer. He competed in the NCAA Championships, which are the top college-level competitions in the United States.

He was amazing in the butterfly events. In 2016, he set new records in the 100-yard and 200-yard butterfly races. He also helped his team win many relay races. A relay is a race where a team of swimmers take turns swimming.

By the time he finished college, Schooling had won 12 NCAA titles. This included four individual wins and eight wins in team relays. His success in college helped prepare him for international competitions.

International Swimming Career

Schooling represented Singapore in many international events. He showed his talent early on and quickly became one of the best swimmers in Asia.

First Big Wins

At the 2014 Asian Games, Schooling had a major breakthrough. He won the gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly, setting a new Asian Games record. This was Singapore's first men's swimming gold at the games since 1982. He also won a silver medal in the 50-meter butterfly and a bronze in the 200-meter butterfly.

The next year, at the 2015 SEA Games in his home country of Singapore, he was unstoppable. He competed in nine events and won a gold medal in every single one, breaking game records in all of them.

World Championships

Schooling competing in the 100m butterfly at the 2015 World Championships in Kazan.

In 2015, Schooling competed at the World Championships. He won a bronze medal in the 100-meter butterfly. This was a historic moment, as it was the first time a swimmer from Singapore had ever won a medal at the World Championships. He also set a new Asian record in the final.

Historic Gold at the 2016 Olympics

Schooling's greatest achievement came at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. On 12 August 2016, he swam in the final of the 100-meter butterfly. He finished with a time of 50.39 seconds, winning the gold medal.

This was a huge moment for Singapore, as it was the country's first-ever Olympic gold medal. His time also set a new Olympic record, beating the old record held by the legendary swimmer Michael Phelps. Schooling's victory was celebrated with a parade in Singapore.

Later Career

After his Olympic win, Schooling continued to compete. He won a bronze medal at the 2017 World Championships. At the 2018 Asian Games, he won two more gold medals in the 50-meter and 100-meter butterfly events.

He also competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Although he did not win a medal, he received a lot of support from Singaporeans for his hard work. His last major competition was the 2021 Southeast Asian Games, where he won two gold medals and a bronze.

Life Outside the Pool

In Singapore, men are required to serve in the military, which is called National Service (NS). Schooling was allowed to delay his service so he could train for the Olympics. After the Tokyo Olympics, he began his service in January 2022.

In 2018, Schooling opened his own swimming school called Swim Schooling. The school is managed by his mother, May, and helps teach the next generation of swimmers. In September 2024, he started a new job at a company called Vertex Holdings.

Honors and Awards

For his amazing Olympic victory, Schooling received the Pingat Jasa Gemilang (Meritorious Service Medal) in 2016. This is one of Singapore's highest honors.

An orchid was also named after him in 2017, the Dendrobium Joseph Schooling. He has also won many other awards, including:

• The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year (2016)
• Sportsman of the Year (six times)

See also

In Spanish: Joseph Schooling para niños

• List of Singapore world champions in sports